Vehicle lamps



nitcd States Patent 3,486,019 VEHICLE LAMPS Walter Kenneth Bryant, Solihull, and Harris Vernon Hicks, Sutton Coldfield, England, assignors to Joseph Lucas (Industries) Limited, Birmingham, England Filed June 9, 1967, Ser. No. 644,866 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 13, 1966, 26,241/ 66 Int. Cl. F21v 11/00 US. Cl. 240-46.01 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vehicle lamp comprising in combination a reflector, a lens, and a 'bulb holder secured to the reflector and having a bulb engaging portion. The reflector has a hole therein through which a bulb can be engaged with the bulb engaging portion. The bulb holder has a bulb shield spaced from but integral with the bulb engaging portion. The bulb shield masks the bulb so that only light rays emitted by the bulb and reflected from the reflector issue from the lamp.

This invention relates to vehicle lamps.

A vehicle lamp according to the invention comprises in combination a reflector, a lens, and a bulbholder, secured to the reflector and having a bulb engaging portion, the reflector having therein a hole through which a bulb can be engaged with said portion, and a bulb shield spaced from but integral with said bulb engaging portion, the bulb shield masking the bulb so that only light rays emitted by the bulb and reflected from the reflector issue from the lamp.

One example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a vehicle lamp,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the heat sink shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the reflector and bulbholder.

Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIGURE 1, the lamp includes a paraboloidal reflector 11 which is formed with a central hole 12, and a lens 13 secured to the reflector 11, an annular sealing ring 14 being trapped between the peripheries of the lens and the reflector. The periphery of the hole 12 in the reflector 11 includes a plurality of equiangularly spaced radial slots 12a (FIGURE 3).

The lamp further includes a bulbholder 15 incorporating an integral closed cylindrical bulb shield 16 at one end, an open stepped cylindrical bulb engaging portion 17 at the other end, and a pair of diametrically opposite arms 18 (dotted in FIGURE 1) joining the portions 16, 17. The portion 17 is of diameter slightly less than the diameter of the hole 12 and is formed at its free end with a plurality of radially extending arcuate flanges 19 which rest in contact with the reflector 11 around the hole 12. Surrounding the portion 17 is a substantially annular retaining plate 21 incorporating a plurality of integral axially extending tabs 22 which extend through the spaces between the flanges 19 and through the slots 12a. One pair of diametrically opposite tabs (not shown) is of larger dimensions than the remaining tabs 22 and are inwardly inclined towards each other at a small angle, the remaining tabs 22 being bent outwardly into contact with the rear surface of the reflector 11 around the hole 12, thereby securing the bulbholder 15 accurately and firmly in its required position.

The bulb 23 includes an annular plate 24a integral with the cylindrical cap 24 of the bulb. The plate 24a rests on ice the shoulder 25 defined by the step in the portion 17 of the bulbholder 15. An annular heat sink 26 (FIG- URE 2) engages the face of the plate 24a remote from the shoulder 25 and is gripped by the inwardly inclined tabs 22 to retain it in position within the portion 17 of bulbholder 15.

The heat sink 26 as shown in FIGURE 2 comprises a generally cylindrical electrically conductive body 27 formed with a tapering bore 28. The 'body 27 at the narrow end of the bore 28 is provided with an outwardly directed flange 29 and the wall of the bore 28 extended axially at 31 to define with the flange 29 a shoulder 32. The body 27 is further formed, between the extension 31 and the flange 29 with a pair of deep arcuate axially extending grooves 33. In use the cap 24 0f the bulb extends through the bore 28.

An annular bezel 34 is engaged with the lamp and in use is secured to the rim of a generally paraboloidal casing 35 by screw 35a. The casing 35 is formed with a central hole 36. The hole 36 is closed by an insulating member 37 which carries a pair of spring contact arms 38, 39. One end of each of the arms 38, 39 extends from the member 37 and is shaped to constitute a blade terminal. The inner end of the arm 38 engages a contact 41 carried by, but insulated from the cap 24 of the bulb. The inner end of the arm 39 is bifurcated, and the two prongs thereof engage the heat sink 26 at a pair of substantially diametrically opposite points. The heat sink 26 and the bulb 23 are urged inwardly of the lamp by the arms 38, 39, the force exerted by the arms being suflicient to prevent relative movement between the bulb 23, the heat sink 26 and the bulb holder 15 in use. It will be appreciated that the heat sink 26 constitutes one of the terminals of the bulb 23, the axial length of the heat sink 26 being such that its end remote from the bulbholder 15 is substantially flush with the contact 41 so that the bifurcations of the arm 39 do not require portions which extend into the portion 17 of the bulbholder 15.

To ensure that the bulb 23 and the heat sink 26 are maintained in the desired angular position with respect to the bulbholder 15, the portion 17 of the holder 15 is formed with an internal axially extending rib 17a, the plate 24a of the bulb 23, and the heat sink 26 having corresponding grooves which engage the rig 17a when they are correctly positioned.

When the bulb 23 is energised, the heat generated is conducted from the bulb by the heat sink 26, the grooves 33, the extension 31 and the flange 29 of the heat sink constituting a large surface area from which heat is radiated. The heat sink 26 further ensures that heat is conducted to the reflector 11 uniformly thereby preventing localized distortion of the reflector. The lamp is therefore particularly suitable for use with quartz iodine bulbs. The bulb shield 16 of the bulbholder 15 is so positioned with respect to the reflector 11 and the bulb 23 that it ensures that only light which has been reflected from the reflector 11 issues from the lamp, any light emitted from the bulb other than in a direction towards the reflector 11 being masked by the bulb shield 16.

The casing 35 is provided with a bracket 42 through which the lamp may be secured to a vehicle.

The bulbholder 15 is preferably formed by an impact extrusion technique. A billet of aluminum is impact extruded to form a hollow stepped cylindrical member and then windows are cut from the member to leave the bulb engaging portion 17 and the bulb shield 16, joined by the arms 18. The bulbholder 15 is then subject to an anodizing process to produce a matt, black, non-reflecting finish on both the external and internal surfaces of the bulbholder 15.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vehicle lamp comprising in combination a reflector, a lens, and a bulb holder, the bulb holder including a bulb engaging portion which is secured to the reflector, the bulb engaging portion being provided with a bulb locating surface for locating a bulb relative to the reflector, and the bulb holder further including an opaque bulb shield which is integral with said bulb engaging portion but spaced therefrom, said bulb shield having light emitting openings in the sides thereof, the reflector being formed with a hole through which a bulb can be inserted into said bulb engaging portion, and said bulb shield being supported by said bulb engaging portion in such a position that only light rays emitted by the bulb which pass through said openings and are reflected from the reflector will issue from the lamp.

2. A lamp as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bulbholder is produced by an impact extrusion technique.

3. A lamp as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bulb engaging portion of the bulbholder includes a plurality of radially extending arcuate portions at its end remote from the bulb shield, said portions engaging the reflector around said central hole, the lamp further including a substantially annular retaining plate surrounding the cylindrical portion of the bulb holder, the plate incorporating a plurality of integral axially extending tabs which extend through the spaces between the arcuate portions of the bulb engaging portion and then through the hole in the reflector, at least some of the tabs being bent to contact the reflector and s hold the bulbholder in position.

4. A lamp as claimed in claim 3 wherein the central hole of the reflector includes a plurality of radial slots through which the tabs of said plate extend so that when the bulbholder and the plate are assembled to the reflector they will be non-rotatable relative thereto.

5. A lamp as claimed in claim 1 further including a heat sink which is supported by the bulb engaging portion of the bulbholder and which engages a bulb supported in the bulb engaging portion of the bulbholder.

6. A lamp as claimed in claim 3 further including a heat sink which is supported by the bulb engaging portion of the bulbholder and which is maintained in engagement with a bulb supported in said bulb engaging portion by at least two of the tabs of said annular retaining plate.

7. A lamp as claimed in claim 5 wherein one of a pair of electrical connections to a bulb supported in the bulb engaging portion of the bulbholder is made through the heat sink.

8. A vehicle lamp comprising in combination a reflector having a central hole formed therein, said hole having spaced radial slots extending from the periphery thereof, a lens secured to the reflector, a bulbholder including a cylindrical portion which engages the bulb, and a plurality of radially extending arcuate portions at one end, said portions engaging the front surface of the reflector around the central hole, and a substantially annular retaining plate surrounding the central portion of the bulbholder, the plate engaging said arcuate portions and incorporating a plurality of integral axially extending tabs which extend through the spaces between the arcuate portions of the bulbholder and then through said radial slots in the reflector, at least some of the tabs being bent to contact the rear surface of the reflector, and so hold the bulbholder in position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,379,446 5/1921 Hammond 24046.0l 1,550,623 8/1925 Lindenthaler 240-4l 2,034,512 3/1936 Geiger et al. 24041 2,305,818 12/1942 Tura 24046.0l 3,250,907 5/1966 Keck et a1 240l.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 510,348 4/1952 Belgium.

710,983 6/ 1954 Great Britain.

563,168 5/1957 Italy.

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner RICHARD M. SHEER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

